Director of Culture, Learning & Leadership Development (Volunteer)

Director of Culture, Learning & Leadership Development (Volunteer)

PromiseOperations | Organizational Excellence, Leadership Development & Culture

Organization: Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Division: PromiseOperations

Location: Remote with NYC-based collaboration as needed

Commitment: Approximately 5–10 hours per week

Type: Volunteer Leadership Role

Minimum Commitment: 6-month commitment required

Reports To: Chief Operating Officer

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit organization serving children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability through mentorship, literacy, social-emotional learning, educational enrichment, workforce development, creative opportunity, advocacy, housing innovation, and community-centered support.

At MAP, strong operations are built on strong people.

Strong people are developed through intentional leadership, continuous learning, accountability, and a culture rooted in shared values.

As MAP grows, maintaining a high-performing, mission-aligned culture becomes essential to delivering meaningful impact for children and families.

About PromiseOperations

PromiseOperations is MAP's operational excellence, organizational effectiveness, strategic execution, project management, and enterprise coordination division.

The division helps transform strategy into action by strengthening systems, improving collaboration, supporting leadership effectiveness, and ensuring organizational priorities are executed successfully.

PromiseOperations exists to help MAP operate with clarity, consistency, accountability, and excellence.

Role Overview

The Director of Culture, Learning & Leadership Development serves as the leader responsible for strengthening organizational culture, leadership effectiveness, professional development, and leadership pipeline development across Mentor A Promise.

This role focuses on helping MAP build a learning organization where leaders are developed intentionally, teams operate effectively, and culture remains aligned with the organization's mission and values.

Working closely with chiefs, directors, managers, and team leaders across the organization, the Director helps create systems that support leadership growth, operational excellence, succession planning, organizational learning, and long-term capacity building.

The ideal candidate is passionate about organizational development, leadership growth, team effectiveness, and building strong mission-driven organizations.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Culture & Values

• Strengthen MAP's culture through values-based leadership initiatives
• Promote collaboration, accountability, communication, and operational excellence
• Support culture-building efforts across divisions
• Help reinforce organizational values and leadership expectations
• Strengthen engagement and organizational alignment

Leadership Development

• Design and oversee leadership development initiatives
• Create learning pathways for emerging and current leaders
• Support leadership coaching, mentorship, and professional growth
• Develop resources that strengthen management and leadership effectiveness
• Build systems that prepare future organizational leaders

Leadership Pipeline & Succession Planning

• Identify and develop high-potential leaders
• Support succession planning efforts across divisions
• Create frameworks for leadership readiness and advancement
• Strengthen internal leadership development opportunities
• Help ensure long-term organizational sustainability

Organizational Learning

• Develop learning and development opportunities for leaders and teams
• Support training initiatives focused on leadership, communication, collaboration, and management
• Promote knowledge-sharing across the organization
• Strengthen organizational capacity through continuous learning
• Build systems that support professional growth and operational effectiveness

Organizational Effectiveness

• Support initiatives that improve team performance and collaboration
• Help identify barriers to organizational effectiveness
• Recommend improvements to workflows, communication, and leadership practices
• Support change management and organizational development initiatives
• Strengthen execution and accountability across teams

Cross-Divisional Collaboration

• Partner with PromisePeople on talent and volunteer development initiatives
• Collaborate with PromiseLearning on learning and training programs
• Support PromiseInnovation organizational development projects
• Work with chiefs and senior leaders to strengthen leadership effectiveness
• Align leadership development efforts with organizational priorities

Leadership Responsibilities

The Director provides leadership and oversight for:

Organizational Culture

Responsible for:

• Culture initiatives
• Values integration
• Team engagement
• Organizational alignment

Leadership Development

Responsible for:

• Leadership programs
• Coaching and mentorship
• Management development
• Leadership readiness

Organizational Learning

Responsible for:

• Professional development
• Training initiatives
• Knowledge sharing
• Capacity building

Leadership Pipeline

Responsible for:

• Succession planning
• Future leaders
• Leadership pathways
• Organizational sustainability

Potential Reporting Structure

Leadership Development Managers

Learning & Development Coordinators

Organizational Effectiveness Specialists

Leadership Program Coordinators

Culture & Engagement Coordinators

Training Facilitators

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in organizational development, leadership development, operations, management consulting, learning and development, nonprofit leadership, education, or related fields
• Strong facilitation, coaching, and leadership development skills
• Experience designing learning or leadership programs
• Excellent communication and relationship-building abilities
• Strong organizational and strategic planning skills
• Passion for operational excellence, leadership development, and organizational growth

Why This Role Matters

Organizations do not become exceptional by accident.

They become exceptional when leaders are developed intentionally, culture is strengthened consistently, and learning becomes part of everyday work.

The Director of Culture, Learning & Leadership Development helps build the leadership capacity, operational discipline, and organizational culture that allow MAP to grow sustainably while remaining deeply connected to its mission.

This role helps ensure that as MAP grows, its people grow with it.

Success Measures

• Leadership development participation and outcomes
• Growth of leadership pipeline initiatives
• Strength of organizational culture
• Professional development engagement
• Succession planning readiness
• Improvements in organizational effectiveness
• Advancement of strategic organizational goals

Leadership Participation

The Director of Culture, Learning & Leadership Development is expected to:

• Attend one weekly Senior Leadership Meeting
• Conduct regular check-ins with direct reports
• Participate in organizational planning and strategy discussions
• Support cross-divisional collaboration and leadership alignment

Volunteer Expectations

• Approximately 5–10 hours per week
• Minimum 6-month commitment required
• Maintain timely and professional communication
• Collaborate through MAP systems and communication platforms
• Support MAP's safeguarding standards, mission, and organizational values
• Foster an inclusive, supportive, and mission-driven culture

What You'll Gain

• Leadership experience helping shape a growing nonprofit organization
• Opportunity to build leadership development systems and organizational culture
• Collaboration with executive leaders and organizational stakeholders
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• Meaningful impact supporting the people who support children and families experiencing housing instability

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly through Idealist and include their resume and cover letter.

Please highlight experience involving organizational development, leadership development, operations, management, coaching, learning and development, nonprofit leadership, or related disciplines.

Help build the culture, leadership, and organizational excellence that powers Mentor A Promise's mission and impact.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with our organization. At this time, volunteer opportunities are limited to individuals based in the United States due to legal, safeguarding, data-privacy, and programmatic requirements. We appreciate your interest in our mission and your understanding of these constraints.